Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver
 
Marketplace
Classified Ads
Photo Ads
Tractor Parts
Salvage

Community
Discussion Forums
Project Journals
Your Stories
Events Calendar
Hauling Schedule

Galleries
Tractor Photos
Implement Photos
Vintage Photos
Help Identify
Parts & Pieces
Stuck & Troubled
Vintage Ads
Community Album
Photo Ad Archives

Research & Info
Articles
Tractor Registry
Tip of the Day
Safety Cartoons
Tractor Values
Serial Numbers
Tune-Up Guide
Paint Codes
List Prices
Production Nbrs
Tune-Up Specs
Torque Values
3-Point Specs
Glossary

Miscellaneous
Tractor Games
Just For Kids
Virtual Show
Museum Guide
Memorial Page
Feedback Form

Yesterday's Tractors Facebook Page

  
Tractor Talk Discussion Board

Re: Ford 4400 1970 gas - premium fuel only


[ Expand ] [ View Replies ] [ Add a Reply ] [ Return to Forum ]

Posted by dhermesc on May 26, 2023 at 06:29:13 from (12.149.56.202):

In Reply to: Ford 4400 1970 gas - premium fuel only posted by Heet0006 on May 25, 2023 at 08:51:34:

Everyone blames E10 for carb issues - its amazing that back in the good old days every gas station was a service station because carbs were needed to be adjusted, cleaned, etc all the time with straight gas. The basic fact is if it sits for weeks, months on end - it will gum up if you don't treat it with Stabile. Otherwise the big issue is E10 will clean your dirty fuel system and sometimes the fuel pump can't handle it or the fuel filter will clog. The smaller the carb/engine the quicker it will gum up. I had a 15HP generator that I treated the gas with stabile and a little Sea Foam. It sat all winter - no ice storm. Pulled out that summer fired it, added some more stabile and a little more Seafoam and put it back in the garage. Went three years that way with the same fuel because I never needed a generator. The 4th summer I drained the gas and poured it into my tractor (about 4 gallon) and it never missed a beat. Refilled with fresh gas and started over. Its getting to year 3 this year on that tank of fuel.


I hear the old wives tales about E10 will ruin gaskets but I've never seen it. I run it in everything from a 1964 F600 with a 300 6 to my wife's 2020 Kia Sedona. From the 50+ year old cub cadet to a brand new Echo chain saw. The only issues I did have were my weed eater fuel line shrunk to 1/3 the original size for some reason when it was stored for the winter. Stabile? Seafoam E10? Or cheap Chinese rubber used by Poulin?

And no - a low compression tractor engine does not need premium fuel. In 1970 fuel companies sold gas based on the RON octane rating (Research octane Rating) - that's why you could buy 100+ octane rated fuel. The other method is the MON octane rating (Motor octane) that rating was never advertised for fuel sold retail - because the number was 10-15 points lower. Today most fuels are sold using a combination of the 2 divided by 2 - you'll see it on the gas pump Octane rating (R+M)/2. Buying 87 octane today would be like buying 92-93 octane in 1970. Good chance your manual from a 1970 tractor advises you to use 90-92 octane using the RON method - which would have been about the lowest grade fuel in 1970 available at the typical gas pump. They didn't want you to buy some super cheap fuel with a low octane (I have no idea where such a fuel would be purchased) but in 1970 fuel octane ratings 10-20 years earlier were much lower - if you had a huge fuel barrel that you never tapped and was 10-15 years old they didn't want you to use it in your new tractor.

A lot of 1940s gas was only 79-85 octane using the RON method (fuel wasn't nearly as standardized as it is now)- but compression levels were so low it didn't matter. With the variance in octane levels and fuel additives many people developed a favorite gas for their car convinced that Shell/Sunaco/Esso gas was so much better than XYZ down the street. And it was probably true given there was no standardized ratings. That 79-85 octane rating would only make 72-78 using the current method. And that is was the old Ford 8Ns, Farmall Hs&Ms&cubs, and Johny poppers ran on for thousands of hours.

In the late 1950s regular fuel octane had risen to about 90 RON and the super premiums were 98-99 RON octane. With the development of the overhead valve engine and higher compression ratios the fuel of the 1940s wouldn't work.


Replies:




Add a Reply!
You must be Logged In to Post


:
:
: (avoid special characters)

:

:

:

:

:

:

Advanced Posting Options

: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks.

No political comments, hate speech or bigotry of any kind will be tolerated. Violations will be removed and posting privileges may be permanently revoked without notice.



 
Advanced Posting Tools
  Select Gallery Photo  Attach Serial No List 
Return to Post 
Upload Photos/Videos
Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo and video filesizes should be less than 5MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.

TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Today's Featured Article - Engine Valves - Some Helpful Information - by Staff. Intake - On the intake stroke the piston moves doward, sucking in carburized fuel through the open intake valve. Exhaust valve is closed. Compression - With both the intake and exhaust valves closed, the pistons upward stroke compresses or squeezes the fuel into the combustion chamber. Firing - Ignited by the spark, the compressed fuel explodes and forces the piston downward on its power stroke. Intake and exhaust valves are closed. Exhaust valves and seats are exp ... [Read Article]

Latest Ad: Oliver 550 Diesel runs like a watch three point hitch pto engine gone threw about two hundred hours ago nice clean tractor [More Ads]

Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy